When I die - The happiest day of my life
by Lymixan
Summary: AU. Luffy was caught before entering the Grand line, and sentenced to death. Can it really be the end? One-shot, first try at a One Piece fan fiction. Less of the action department, more on the philosophy. The one-shot sequel is now up.
1. When I die - The happiest day of my life

When I die - The happiest day of my life

* * *

Disclaimer:

**I do not own One Peace, ** **Eiichiro Oda does.**

**I've only borrowed a few of his characters for this fanfiction.**

**What else to say? Hmm... well, this is my first try at a One Piece fanfic, so don't be too mean to me, all right?**

**Oh, well... here it is.**

**Read 'n' (hopefully?) enjoy.**

* * *

_'To tell the truth, I never imagined things would turn out this way._

_I was more than positive that I'd reach my goal._

_Really, I had no doubts that I'd be the next pirate king._

_I was confident that I'd fullfill my one and only childhood dream._

_Perhaps a bit too confident._

_Yes, truly... I never thought it would end this way._

_Even so, I've managed to come this far. Hence, I'm still happy._

_'Cause even if my life is cut short, as long as my crew is out there somewhere,_

_the memory of me and my endeavors won't be forgotten._

_In this moment, I don't require anything else._

_All I truly wish for right now is for someone to remember me fondly.'_

* * *

The dark of the night slowly crept upon the small town.

No one was to be seen, nothing was to be heard.

The silence was as infinite as the darkness.

To most people, it was an awful feeling looming over the tranquil town.

Almost like a breeze right before the storm to come.

To a certain prisoner, however, it was only soothing.

One might ask why a person with the appearance of a mere boy

was currently in shackles, chained to the wall.

This particular boy was anything but a boy.

This blackhaired seventeen was an infamous captain.

Captain with a crew almost as infamous as himself.

Dried blood was covering his face, the scar right below his eye unseen.

The I.D tag with his name and numbers was hanging around his neck.

'P-3012 -Monkey. '

Elsewhere, a tall handsome man with green hair was staring at the waves from the pier.

Roronoa Zoro felt unease as his conscience and heart was in a turbulent combat.

Zoro's head told him to have faith and do as told,

while his heart wanted to save his captain from execution,

just like his captain had saved him from the clutches of Morgan a few years back.

The hopelessness was as painful and cruel as the sting from a dagger.

Possibly for the first time in his life, Zoro broke down in tears.

(The next morning, Luffy's POV)

I felt the warm rays of sun in my face as I was, almost gently,

led outside to the platform which would probably be the last place I'd ever see.

One would think that the sight would terrify me, but to tell the truth, I felt no fear at all.

Of course, I'd always been prepared to die in exchange of my dream.

I've always known that I wouldn't die of old age.

That could very well be the reasonI wasn't afraid when I got arrested.

Perhaps that's why I could only smile as the judge told my verdict.

Maybe, just maybe the reason why I didn't have any tears for my death approaching,

was beacuse I felt at peace knowing that my legacy would still remain with my crew.

Even if I had to leave this world behind, a part of me would still be left.

"Let the memory of me be alive".

What more could I possibly ask for...?

I looked at the crowd, searching for a certain pair of eyes. There, found them.

Zoro was a trickster, almost in my league, so hiding in the shadows was just like a walk in the park for him.

If it wasn't for not wishing the guards to notice the swordsman's presence, I would've laughed out loud.

It was almost ironic - one of the most wanted men in the world was here, to watch me die, right under their noses.

The marines was so clueless I had to smile.

Coby, the marine to my left side, my only friend in the marines for that matter, saw my smile widening.

Judging by his flabbergast look, I'd say he was startled.

Not that I blame him, most people facing death doesn't have a happy face like I do.

He probably felt bad for me too. If I was into gambling, which I'm not,

I'd bet everything I own that Coby would've set me free. Or, at the very least, die trying.

We've hardly ever spoken to each other, so I find his concern for me slightly embarrassing but also at the same time flattering.

I've never told him, but I feel proud seeing him slowly seazing his dream.

You see, Coby wasn't always a confident marine soldier to be proud of.

When I first met him, he was nothing more than a loadmouthed whimp with no dreams.

A bullied dunce. A complete idiot. Actually, I wasn't sure whether I liked him or not.

Cowardice have never, and I do mean never, been a virtue to me.

However, he overcame his doubts, managed to stay alive long enough to face his fears (that would be a very overweight piratess).

He's still far from being as fearless as me, but heck, at least he tried.

Which makes me feel even more proud of him.

It's almost a shame I've never had the opportunity to tell him that, though.

I think that it would have made Coby happy.

(Coby's POV)

Luffy didn't struggle when he was forced to kneel in front of the crowd,

calmly resting his head at the stone in front of him, waiting for the axe to strike.

The seconds it took for the axe to rise and swoop down at the pirate boy could very well have been hours.

I caught myself holding my breath. I felt torn between the loyalty for my first made friend, and my responsibilities as a marine.

What was I supposed to do? I don't want my friend to die, but working for the marines,

catching bad guys and see to it that they get what they deserve is part of my job.

No, I stand corrected, it's all part of my job.

But even so, Luffy wasn't a bad guy.

Sure, he was a pirate, part of the Eleven Supernovas with a ridiculously massive prize on his head,

but still he didn't deserve _this_.

Ask anybody who knows him and they'd tell you the same thing.

Why was everything so complicated?

(Luffy's POV)

Soon it would all be over.

I catched a glimpse of Coby, noted the tears in his eyes, and then turned my gaze back to the front.

If I was to die here, then at least I wanted to see Zoro's eyes one last time.

After his swordsmanship, his eyes was the one thing about Zoro that I appreciated the most.

Even now, slightly horrified, they were filled of pride, power and determination.

I smiled gently at him in an attempt to comfort him, and then I let my eyes close.

The pain was over before it even begun.

**The End.  
**

* * *

Authoress's note:

_Although I have a sligh disdain for cliffhangers, I felt it was necessary in this one-shot,_

_as I didn't have the heart to make Luffy's death final._

_Therefore, it's up the minds of you readers whether Luffy does indeed die,_

_or is miraculously saved in the last minute by Zoro or Coby._

_The way I worked with this fiction, it is more likely that it would be Coby to save the day rather than Zoro,_

_funnily enough since I'm not that fond of Coby's character at all._

_He's almost as annyoing as Nami._

_I don't expect you to share these opinions though, so no hard feelings, ye?_

_Anyhow, did Luffy die? Was he saved?_

_That is up to you. Have fun deciding our favorite captain's fate._

_Peace out!_


	2. When I die - Wavering on the waves

When I die - Wavering on the waves

Sequel to "The happiest day of my life".

**Disclaimer:**

Once again, I do not own One Piece.

If I did, some certain events would never had happened.

With that said, read 'n' enjoy.

_`Wandering in darkness,_

_searching for the light._

_Always searching.´  
_

* * *

Any minute now, the axe would sever the young pirate boy's head from his spine.

Luffy waited. Any minute now. Luffy still waited. Surely the end would come now.  
Yet nothing happened, absolutely _nothing_.

Luffy opened his eyes in confusion and was greeted by a most awful sight.

Coby laid on top of him - with the axe deeply buried in his back.

The only sound that could be heard for a few seconds was Coby's blood dripping onto the floor.

For a few seconds, it was quiet. Then, when reality was brought back all of a sudden, Luffy screamed in protest.

He wasn't the only one, though.

A few of Coby's friends from the marines was shouting, tears streaming down their faces.

"W-why...," was the only thing Luffy could say at this point.

Coby blinked and slowly raised his head, meeting his pirate friend's eyes.

"Because friends... doesn't abandon their friends when they're needed," Coby replied weakly.

(Luffy's POV)

I didn't know what I should say.

I had aboslutely no idea of what I should do.

The only thing I could do was watching the life in Coby's eyes diminish, and then finally vanish altogether.

I think I called out "No!" once, although I'm not sure.

At this point, my mind wasn't clear for the obvious reason.

All I do know is that this wasn't what I'd wished for. No, not at all.

What am I supposed to do now...?

* * *

(Third person's POV)

It was during the confusion and uproar of the crowd that Zoro saw the right moment to act.

Without anyone noticing, he ran towards the platform where Luffy and Coby's body was.

With a most skillful swing with one of three swords he always carried with him, the marine soldiers on the platform was swiftly defeated.

Zoro looked over to the body of Coby, nodding in respects, and left the site carrying his captain in bridal-style.

The only sound heard apart from the shouts from the marines pursuing them, was the soothing sound of wind chimes  
the three long earrings in his left ear made as he ran towards the docks.

Most of their crew was already onboard of _Thousand Sunny_ as the duo entered the ship.

In the next moment, they took off, shamelessly waving at the marines left behind on the docks.

Luffy was the only one who wasn't waving, laughing or smiling.

In fact, he didn't do anything but stare at the waves without seeing anything at all.

Luffy's mind was completely blank. His mind was blank, and so was his heart.

Luffy didn't know how many hours he'd spent staring at the walls in his cabin, and quite frankly, he couldn't care less.

Only Coby mattered. Coby, his marine friend.

Coby, the boy he'd shared his dream with. Coby, the boy he had killed.

Brooke and Nami, Shinji and Usopp, even Zoro tried to make him see reason.

They all said that what had happened wasn't his fault. That he wasn't to blame.

That Coby'd made his decision out of his own free will.

They were only sweet lies, though. They had to be.

If it wasn't for him, Coby would still be alive.

Luffy couldn't understand how his crew could try to make him see it in another way than just that.

He was only telling the truth, so why were they lying?

How could they deny Coby's death so easily? Was Coby only important to him?

For the first time ever, Luffy was feeling angry at his crew.

Angry that they could lie to him and deny the truth which was so plain to see.

A gentle knock on the door and then Sanji's voice was heard, asking for permission to enter.

Luffy didn't say a word. He had no words for liars, even if they happened to be members of his crew.

Apparantly, Sanji took the silence of his captain as an agreement, and then let himself into the gloomy room with a plate in his hand.

"I brought some food for you, you must be starving," Sanji whispered and put the plate on the table.

Sanji looked over to the mourning boy, then shook his head in anxiety.

Was there anything he could do for his captain, other than making food...?

He then left the room, leaving the words "I hope you'll feel better soon" behind.

The next morning, when Zoro peeked into Luffy's room to tell him it was time for breakfast,

he noticed that the plate with food from the evening before was left cold and untouched.

* * *

(Zoro's POV)

I've never seen Luffy like this before.

It's almost as if he has given up completely.

The only time he'd actually left his room was when he needed to go to the bathroom.

It's been 3 days since we sailed off, and Luffy still refuses to talk to us.

But what's even worse is that he doesn't have any interest to eat or drink.

He just lies in his bed, staring at the ceiling, mumbling to himself.

I can't bear to see him like this. I just can't.

What should I do...?

On the 6th day, I simply had enough.

All of us is just as depressed as Luffy is, but we don't hide in our rooms because of that.

I decided to let Luffy know the reason why I shouldn't be messed with.

With this newfound determination, I opened the door to Luffy's room and stepped inside.

"Hey, you, I have something to say to you and I suggest you listen," I told Luffy,

ignoring the pillow he threw in my face the moment I'd stepped inside the cabin.

Luffy's eyes flashed in anger, which was a good sign in this situation.

It was a sign that _our_ Luffy was indeed still in there somewhere, and if he was,

it also meant that if I played the right card, I could lure him out of there too.

I stepped closer to the bed and sat down, observing Luffy's facial expressions.

'He looks sulky. _Good_. That makes this much easier'.

* * *

(Third person's POV)

Zoro smiled gently at Luffy, and although Luffy didn't smile back, he kept the eyecontact.

"Luffy... I know that you miss Coby," Zoro said calmly.

Luffy shrugged and said nothing to neither confirm nor deny Zoro's statement.

He simply didn't know what to say.

Zoro studied the younger male and then did something he'd never done before.

While holding the boy tightly in what he hoped was a soothing embrace, he gently whispered;

"It's okay to cry, if you're really, really sad."

All the tears he'd held in for so long was suddenly caressing his skin.

"It's okay, I'm here," Zoro said when he felt the shivering boy hug him back.

Zoro patted Luffy's head, whispering the same phrase over and over again for what seemed like an eternity;

"It's going to be all right, I'm here."

* * *

Sanji put a cigarette between his lips, gazing at the stars above.

It was the same stars he'd always look at this time of the night, but it didn't feel _the same._

In fact, nothing did. Usopp hadn't told any of his usual "stories" for almost a week, which was quite unusual.

But that wasn't all. Although they'd crossed paths with another pirate ship, Nami hadn't knicked even the slightest pin from them.

Now, _that_ was scary, once you thought about it.

That Brooke would hum on a melancholic 'song' wasn't unusual at all, mind you, but it wasn't with the same _passion_ as before.

Of course, it was all because of their dysfunctional captain.

Sanji understood what the boy went through, a close friend of _his_ did pass away in front of him when he was 12, after all.

Not that he'd ever shared that story with anyone, of course.

Even though 10 years had passed since then, the memory of it still hurt too much to talk about.

Sanji also had the suspicion that telling his captain about that wouldn't help to sheer him up at all.

If anything, it would only make him feel even more depressed.

"Hi there, Sanji, you're up so late?" a familiar voice was heard.

Sanji turned his head, seeing his captain smile brightly at him.

Mixed feelings of confusion, happiness and relief flashed across Sanji's face before he launched himself towards Luffy,

hugging the boy with no intention to let go of him. Ever.

"If you two lovebirds are done, I think there's a party downstairs waiting for us," Zoro said mischievously.

Sanji flipped a finger, muttering, "You're only saying that, 'cause capt'n likes me best!"

**The End.**

* * *

_Authoress's note:_

_So, that was the end of the sequel._

_Wow, Luffy+Sanji? Never saw that one coming!_

_Although I think that Sanji was just trying to mess around with Zoro._

_He kind of asked for it. =P_

_Once again, there's little to no action (fights) in this story._

_I guess focusing on the psychological aspects is much easier for me to write._

_Oh, well. Thank you for reading this and feel free to leave a comment if you'd like._

_Peace out!_


End file.
